Hollyoaks spoilers follow.
It’s official – Hollyoaks favourite Robbie Roscoe is dead after becoming Jez Blake’s latest target.
The bombshell twist played out in Wednesday’s episode (August 6), which revealed that Robbie was murdered by serial killer Jez several weeks ago.
As for all those scenes showing Robbie as a captive in Jez’s shed? Turns out that he was just a figment of Jez’s imagination, acting as his guilty conscience in key episodes over the past few weeks.
Charlie Wernham, who played Robbie, recently caught up with us for a big exclusive interview about the unique twist and how he feels about closing the door on Hollyoaks, 12 years on from his debut.
Hi Charlie, what a twist! Has it been difficult to keep this under wraps?
“Luckily, I’ve not been questioned on it too much by any of the fans! That’s good for me, because I do keep the soap secrets but I don’t lie very well. I think the audience has been expecting Robbie to get out of the shed, to be honest. The story has thrown so many people off the scent.
“A few people might have started asking questions about what’s going on, because Robbie’s been looking incredibly well despite being held captive for weeks! But on the whole, nobody has really clocked it.”
How did this all come about? Had you told the producers that you wanted to leave?
“I was only ever going to be back for a year. At first I was only meant to do three months – that was why Robbie went off screen the first time, back at the start of last year. I had a job that was going to go ahead but then it didn’t, so my diary became available.
“Hannah Cheers, who’s the producer of Hollyoaks, said that she’d love to have me back for another 12 months. It was quite a big thing to relocate again, as I’ve got a life down here in Essex, so I said that it would probably only be for the year.”
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How did that affect your approach to being back on the show?
“I had that end date in mind when I came back, and that was really nice. I had to make the most of it, because the chances were that I wouldn’t come back again.
“It was brilliant to come back, enjoy it and live in the moment, while seeing all of my old friends. It was great to be part of the team and revisit Robbie, as he wasn’t a character I thought I’d ever play again.”
How did you first hear about this big death twist?
“Si Wall, who’s a producer on the show alongside Hannah, told me about it very cagily. He didn’t know what my reaction was going to be, because it’s all a bit bonkers when you say it out loud! It was a lot to take in!
“I sat with it and thought about it. Afterwards, I said that we really had to make the audience believe that Robbie was alive in that shed. Once the flashback and big reveal happens, you’re only as strong as the set-up. So they did that well, I think!”
Were there any nerves behind the scenes over such an ambitious twist?
“Everyone was cautious, because I don’t remember this ever being done before. I was excited, though, because it’s something that I’d never done – and Robbie’s done everything there is to do! If you’re going to die on the show, it’s quite an interesting way of doing it – and I’m all for doing different things.”
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You knew the whole time that you weren’t playing the real Robbie in the shed scenes, so how did that affect your approach?
“What was difficult was fighting against the reality, as the real Robbie would have been trying to escape in every scene or trying to shout for help. I had lots of conversations with Jeremy [Sheffield, who plays Jez] about what Robbie would talk about.
“He wouldn’t be talking about his own problems, wants or needs. Instead, he’d be talking more about Jez’s life, because that’s what would happen if this version of Robbie was just in Jez’s head.
“You will have seen that, most of the time, Robbie was relaxed. He was a bit uneasy about Jez’s decision-making, so we played that as Robbie being his conscience. It was a nice challenge to sit down and work all of that out.”
Did you put any clues in for fans to spot?
“We tried to avoid any clues or giveaways. One of the things I said was that Robbie had to be in the same outfit and look the same in every scene. Obviously he was captured in that outfit but, as he was Jez’s imagination, it wouldn’t make any sense if Robbie was to get dishevelled, pale or unwell.
“That was quite tricky and I think people may have started to spot that little Easter egg! But everything else, we tried to avoid as best we could because we really wanted to sell this idea that Robbie was alive and well.
“We knew people would throw up questions and it would seem a bit strange that Robbie wasn’t trying to get out of the shed. But we thought people might wonder if Robbie was trying to help Jez change his ways – or trying to save people from the inside.”
How was it to work so closely with Jeremy Sheffield again?
“Jeremy’s first Hollyoaks character Patrick Blake was Robbie’s headmaster, so we had a lot of fun reminiscing about how I’d be sat opposite him in his office getting told off for all sorts of stuff!
“I feel like it’s ended my Hollyoaks career perfectly, because I started off working with Jeremy when I was playing a schoolkid. Now Robbie’s an adult and Jeremy’s back playing Patrick’s twin brother!
“There aren’t a lot of people who could have so much dialogue as Jeremy’s had over the past few weeks, all in four walls, and make it as interesting as he does. It was nice for me, as I didn’t have to do much! I just got to sit, watch and learn a few things, which is nice.”
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Could Robbie come back to haunt Jez with more visions?
“I don’t know if he’ll be coming back to haunt Jez again – it’s not something I’ve heard anything about! But it’s Hollyoaks, so anything can happen. I do think that final goodbye to Robbie in the village was quite emotional to film, because I knew that’d be my last scene on screen.
“I thought that was quite a fitting ending. I was the first Roscoe to arrive and the last to leave, so I think that’s quite a nice way to leave it. It’s one of those situations where hopefully people enjoy the big twist, and we don’t want to jeopardise any of that by bringing Robbie back here and there. But who’s to say? It’s Hollyoaks so anything can happen!”
You’ve spent most of the past few months playing a hostage in two separate storylines!
“That was quite funny, because every time people saw me around the set, they’d ask: ‘What’s happened to you?’ I’d be beaten up or dirty with my hair a mess, or gags on or whatever.
“During the second story, people would say: ‘Are you not out of Grace’s house yet?’ I’d tell them: ‘No, I’m out of that, I’m now in Jez’s shed!’ It was nice to do something a bit different, it was just a little bit weird being tied to a chair for that long!
“I also had to find ways to keep it interesting. You’re tied to a chair, so what are you going to do? Again you have to work a bit harder, think outside the box and be a bit creative.”
Are you sad that the door seems to be closed on a return for Robbie?
“The thing is, I never thought I’d be returning to the show in the first place. I just thought that too much time had gone by – and I was really busy doing other things anyway. I’ve now had a brilliant 15 months and I’ve done it exactly how I wanted to do it.
“I think that’ll probably be it for Robbie, but then again Clare was dead and she’s now back. Loads of people have died and come back. So is Robbie dead? Who knows? It’s Hollyoaks!
“It certainly feels like the final chapter for Robbie. It does feel like the door is sort-of closed. But I never said ‘never’ the first time and I’d never say ‘never’ again. It’s very hard to say no to that place, because it’s such a wonderful place to work. But if that is it for Robbie, which I’m pretty sure it will be, then I’m very satisfied and happy.”
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How did you feel about Robbie turning gangster over the past year?
“It’s certainly fun to play. That’s the thing in the soap world – one month you’re this funny, loveable character and the next you’re a gangster, so it’s such a great place to learn your craft because you’re doing so many different things.
“It was nice to get stuck into that stuff, but Robbie’s character never changes too far because he always ends up falling in love with someone. So we still got to play the emotion of him, rather than him just being a fully-fledged gangster.”
Would Robbie and Vicky have got their happy ending in different circumstances, or would it have ended in tears anyway?
“Well, it’s Hollyoaks so I’m pretty sure it would have ended in tears! People don’t stay happy for long in soaps. After the things they went through, I’m not sure it would have been the happy-ever-after that people wanted.
“It certainly would have been nice – it’s always great to see two characters who’ve worked together for a long time have a happy ending. But both characters were crazy, so I can’t imagine it would have been happy for too long.”
Will you be tuning in for the show’s 30th anniversary?
“Yes, of course. The only shame is that I would have loved my contract to fall over that period and to have been a part of it. It would have been nice. I was there when it was getting spoken about and my friends are all involved in it. It’s going to be amazing – I’ll absolutely have to tune in for sure.”
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What are you up to next?
“I’ve got a few things that I’m working on at the minute – just my own projects, really. I did a short film of my own last year, so I’m trying to look at directing as well. I’ve got a few things lined up with that, which is something I’ve always been interested in.
“I’m also back auditioning – I’m back out there. It’s always sad when a job finishes, because you’re saying goodbye to people that you like and a character that you like.
“But it’s always exciting when you know that you’re free to go up for whatever. You never know what’s going to be at the end of the phone when you get an audition.”
Do you have a final message for the Hollyoaks fans?
“It’s a cliché but the fans are the reason we do it! They are the reason we’ve got a job and a show to shoot every single day. We’ve got some fans who’ve watched the show for 30 years and some who’ve only watched it for a few months. But either way, they get so invested.
“That’s what keeps the producers and the storyliners on their toes, because they want to keep shocking the fans and keep them happy. They’ve got high expectations and that’s what makes us keep turning up every day to do the best we can.
“So it’s just a big thank-you for the support and keep watching! Soap – and telly in general – has gone through a really tough time in the last few years. A lot of people have stuck by Hollyoaks – and it’s made the show have to work really hard to keep giving them the quality of work they love and tune in for every week.”
Hollyoaks airs on Mondays-Wednesdays with its Channel 4 streaming premiere at 7am, then an E4 broadcast the same night at 7pm. Full episodes are also released on YouTube a week after their Channel 4 release.
Selected omnibus episodes are available via Prime Video.
Read more Hollyoaks spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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